One of the less well-known software engineering classics, “Winning with Software“, seems to have lost a bit to the current agile mainstream. But even for successful agile adoption, there is a lot to learn from this apparently waterfall-heavy masterpiece.
Continue reading Bibles of Software Engineering II: “Winning with Software”
Office politics is always a hot topic – even though it is actually pretty hard to define. What if what seems to be “politics” actually is just a huge misunderstanding? – Let’s investigate how this can happen and what to do about it.
Something happens. Is it good or is it bad? – Often, we believe we know. As often, we are wrong. Here’s a story about not jumping to conclusions.
Another one from the attic – with a twist. Originally, in summer 2010, it was about “I should have exerted more pressure on that team”. But it turned into a piece on high-tech hybris. Continue reading Attic: Posterous?
One of my favorite aphorisms about software development:
Continue reading Quote of the day: Software Development is …
Back in 1997, when I first met Tim Berners-Lee, (now Sir Tim Berners-Lee)…
Some books about software engineering are timeless classics. Among them, written as early as 1975 and still unbelievably relevant, is “The Mythical Man-Month” by Fred Brooks.
From the attic: I’ve written this years ago but didn’t publish it for one reason or another. It’s not recent, but worth a thought or two anyways… Whatever, here comes:
The other day, I had a very interesting discussion with a friend-colleague-mentor about unpopular truths in large corporate environments.
Ever wondered why there is so much friction between software developers and product managers? I wouldn’t claim to have found the philosopher’s stone, though I’d offer the following partial solution, partly rooted in philosophy. In a nutshell: they are using different types of truth, and once these two are distinguished consciously, everything becomes a lot easier.
Continue reading The truth about the truth, and why it matters for software development
Nothing to add: “We learn by example and by direct experience because there are real limits to the adequacy of verbal instruction.” – Malcolm Gladwell
Continue reading New aphorism: Why “Oral Tradition”